Suddenly a thought occurred to her. If she had all the power he now had, what would she do with it? Find the first likely village and take it over. Since Sinbad was now as evil if not more than she was, it wasn't too far off to assume he would have the same plan. Rumina gazed at herself in a full-length mirror and adjusted her violet and gold outfit and tossed her raven locks. Then she headed down to her library to search through maps for a place that looked conquerable.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The crew asked around and learned nothing. They set sail, stopping in every port and questioning everyone they came in contact with. Nothing. After a few months had passed with no word of where Sinbad had gone, they gave up hope. They continued to travel, transporting goods and earning a bit of gold but nothing could change the fact that something of vital importance had been lost to them.
Six months had passed when they docked at the distant port of Ormara. Doubar had sworn that they would search even to the ends of the earth and so they had arrived at one of the farthest ports in Doubar's knowledge. They had nothing to sell and hardly any gold to buy supplies but they stopped here anyhow. Doubar roamed among the citizens like a lost child. He would stop people and describe his brother, ask if they knew him. Each time his questions met the same response. Fear lit in the citizen's eyes and they would quickly shake their head and scurry away. Doubar grew tired of this reaction.
Finally he approached a young man and posed the same question. "Have you seen a young man with long brown hair and blue eyes? He's about this tall and..." The man quickly shook his head and moved to flee but Doubar grabbed him, lifting him off the ground. "If you have seen him, talk," Doubar threatened. Rongar, Firouz, and Bryn rushed over as soon as the man's feet left the ground and now they stood and watched the man squirm for a bit.
"He's a terrible tyrant. Unless you bring gold, you should run. You don't want to find him," the man said in a rush.
"Tyrant?" Firouz queried. "That doesn't sound like Sinbad at all."
"No," Bryn said. "It sounds just like him. The evil in him has taken control."
Doubar shook the man before lowering him. "Take us to him," he ordered. The man nodded and slowly led them to the palace gates.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rumina had found many mentions of a place called Ormara. Rumored to be the wealthiest city ever to be blessed by Allah. It was as far south as anyone had ever journeyed. She read and knew that Sinbad had gone there. Then she read to find some way to either defeat the evil which had overcome him... or to destroy it. She found an incantation, which might drive the evil from him. But she needed a vessel to trap the evil inside of and she needed more power.
She went to the mountains of Hodd and found a mystic, who gave her a pure bloodstone, the stone of vitality and strength, and a handful of black obsidian crystals, protection stones. The large egg-shaped bloodstone would act as a vessel and the obsidian crystals... Well, Rumina would hope and pray that she could find Sinbad's crew and that they would listen to at least a few words she said and hopefully trust her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sinbad ruled Ormara with an iron fist for six months. In that time, Nyxa was the only one he kept near him. And she was the one who felt the loss of his humanity most profoundly. He became hard on the loyal citizens as well as the criminals. Thieves promptly had their hands cut off at the wrists and anyone brought before him accused of murder was executed on the spot without further investigation. Ordinary citizens would suffer his wrath for a mere second's hesitation before bowing as he walked past. He would punch them and kick them and order his royal guard to throw them in the dungeon.
Yet with Nyxa, he was often gentle and kind. He seemed strangely lost and almost childlike in his quiet depression. She found that for as much as she wanted to hate him and fear him like the others, when she had him alone, she could only feel sorry for him. She wanted to watch over him and protect him, which seemed odd because she had never been the motherly kind. Something about that tortured soul peering through such beautiful blue eyes had turned her into as gentle a soul as the one she saw trapped there. And something told her he was definitely trapped.
On this morning, Sinbad sat casually draping one leg over the arm of the throne as he handed down sentences against thieves and marauders. Soft black leather pants hugged his thighs and tucked into his boots. A billowing black satin shirt with full sleeves and an open throat barely hung over his shoulders before slipping into the tight waist of his pants. His attire left his bronzed chest bared and was decidedly not very kingly. Oddly enough, he still wore his sword belt though he no longer carried his sword with him. He didn't need to. He made orders and everyone jumped to obey, and those who didn't were killed.
The last of the accused had been sentenced and Nyxa settled herself in Sinbad's lap. The two were sharing a kiss when a group burst through the palace doors and a fight broke out between the newcomers and the King's royal guard. Sinbad pushed Nyxa off his lap and stood, glaring at the intruders. "Enough," he hollered. The guard instantly backed down. The four assailants looked at the man who had shouted and knew that the rumors were true. Their beloved Captain had changed.
For an instant, Sinbad looked desperate, like he might care what happened to these souls but, his face quickly morphed into thatof a condemned man with his head on the block and no way to stop the swing of the executioner's blade. Some part of him still knew his friends wouldn't let him go without a fight. They wouldn't accept this new attitude willingly, which left him only one option. He glared at them harshly and a faint red glow surrounded the foursome. He smiled cruelly at his handiwork. "What do you want?" he asked.
"We came to find you," Bryn beseeched. "We want to help you and then take you back with us."
"Where are your manners, girl?" Sinbad hissed. The energy field around the group closed in on them. They stood nearly on top of each other to avoid touching the glowing encasement. "You will address me as Highness when you dare to speak to me," he continued. "Do you understand?"
"Sinbad," Firouz protested. He got no further as the air suddenly left the cage and the foursome began to suffocate.
"No," the angry King cried out. "Sinbad is dead. He was weak and I killed him." The four friends dropped to their knees, gasping for air, as blackness closed in on them. "As I will you." Nyxa had stood idly by throughout this but as she saw the hateful fire in his eyes, she wanted to cry. Frightened harem girls and nobles who had stood loitering about now watched the loyal friends dying. None had the courage to challenge the powerful King.
With tears shimmering in her eyes, Nyxa gently touched Sinbad's arm. "They haven't done anything wrong," she beseeched. "They don't deserve this." Sinbad turned to her and she visibly flinched under his hard gaze. "Please," she whispered. His features softened and a light hit his eyes. Without turning from her, he released the group. Their grateful inhalations turned his attention back to them as his eyes darkened again.
"Throw these trespassers in the dungeon until I figure out what I want to do with them," he ordered. Nyxa felt him tremble with anger as the guards hauled the foursome to their feet and led them away. Once calm returned to the room, Sinbad gently shrugged off her hand and whispered, "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to lie down for a while."
"Would you like me to come with you?" Nyxa offered. He turned to her, suddenly harsh again.
"I don't need your..." His eyes scanned her up and down before he found a suitable word. "...Help, right now," he hissed, turning on his heel and stomping away. She watched his back as he left and she could feel everyone staring at her. She waited a few more moments and then trailed slowly after him.
She entered his bedchamber with great caution, fearing to set off his temper. She found him slowly pacing before the balcony window. As she approached, he looked at her with confusion. He seemed about to speak but he turned and resumed pacing.
"What was that all about?" she asked, her voice harsher than she usually dared.
He turned back to her and looked even more confused than he had a moment ago. "What was what all about?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested in hearing an answer.
"That little scene back there," she shot back. She didn't get a chance to continue.
"Were they here?" he asked, sounding like a child asking for his mother. Nyxa began to get concerned. He looked so lost and confused.
"Who?" she asked, gently.
"Doubar and Firouz and Rongar and Bryn," he said. "I saw them for an instant and then everything went black again."
"Three men and a woman?" Nyxa asked. Sinbad nodded. "An overweight fellow, a dark-skinned man, a brainy-looking fellow, and a thin, dark-haired woman?" Sinbad nodded again. Nyxa was now confused besides concerned. "You had them thrown in the dungeon," she said. He turned to her sharply, a look of shock on his face that turned to pain a moment later. He gripped the arm of a nearby chair to maintain his footing as he forced back the pain. He shook his head slightly as he caught his breath. When he raised his face to hers, his eyes gleamed with unshed tears.
"Where is the dungeon?" he asked, quietly.
"At the end of the corridor, there's a door beside the main staircase, it hides a passage that leads there," she said. He nodded almost imperceptibly before leaving her alone with her confusion.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sinbad entered the dungeons and asked the guards to leave. He approached the cell and found his friends standing in the center, whispering and nodding. Bryn saw him watching them and quickly hushed the others. They all turned to him, watching him with uncertainty. They no longer knew him. "I want you all to leave here and never come back," he said, quietly. They all went closer, unsure he had said what they had heard.
"You're gonna let us go?" Firouz asked. Sinbad nodded. "But you just had us locked up here." Just then a searing pain ripped through Sinbad. It started in his head and ran down his spine and through his whole body. He grabbed the wall for support and his knees nearly buckled under him.
A thought echoed in his mind. 'You'll do as I say. I own you.' Sinbad thought he'd pass out from the pain. He had stopped trying to fight it but this was too important for him to give up. "No," he screamed, willing the pain down until it was bearable. When he looked up at his friends' faces, it was with a sheen of sweat on his brow and pain in his eyes. He slowly lifted the keys from a hook on his belt and put the key in the lock. "Never come back," he whispered as they all moved slowly toward the open door.
"Little brother, I can't leave without you," Doubar said, quietly, somehow knowing Sinbad's agony in that moment and fearing to leave him with it.
"Please just leave," Sinbad pleaded. "I don't want anything to happen to any of you." The pain returned full force but Sinbad refused to let his friends see it. He forced himself not to sway on his feet and as the blackness threatened to wash over him again, he forced his eyes to remain focused on his brother's face. It kept him from slipping too far away.
Bryn touched his arm gently. "Fight it, Sinbad," she said. He shook his head.
"I can't," he said, with tears in his eyes. "I haven't the strength."
"You have more strength than anyone I know," she pleaded, her own eyes filling with tears. "Please, don't give up." The pain eased slightly but not enough as far as Sinbad was concerned. One tear found its way through the long dark lashes and trailed slowly down his cheek. His chin trembled and his jaw clenched. He couldn't have them here, where the evil could harm them, but he didn't know that he could fight it without them. Better to sacrifice himself than them.
"It's too late for that," he whispered. "I've already given up." Bryn's own tears flowed freely now. She moved forward to hug him, but he shook his head violently. Bryn turned away from him then and walked towards the door. Firouz and Rongar followed silently. Doubar stopped for a moment and gazed at his younger brother.
"Bryn's right," he urged. "You can't give up," Sinbad opened his mouth to protest but Doubar continued. "You're better than that, you're stronger than that, I won't have it. When you need me, you'll come find me, right?" Deep inside, Sinbad knew he would never see any of them again, but he nodded just the same. He couldn't leave his brother feeling as hopeless as he felt. Doubar tousled his brother's hair as he walked past and followed the others away.
Once they'd all left, the pain tore through him again. He cried out but there was no one to hear. He tried to fight the blackness but the voice came again. 'You are weak. You are no match for me. Why fight this and suffer when you know how to find peace?' Sinbad gave in to the blackness. The mask of pain melted into the hard façade as the brilliant light in his blue eyes faded to darkness again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sinbad returned to his bedchamber to find Nyxa seated on his bed. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. She turned to him with fearful eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. The harshness crumbled in the presence of her anguish. "What's the matter, Nyxa?" he prodded gently, moving to sit beside her. As he came near, she jumped up and stared at him in terror but the clouds were gone now and his eyes shone brilliantly. "Have I done something?"
"Who are you?" her choked voice asked. "I don't know you from one moment to the next."
He so wanted to tell her the truth, but the evil inside him read his thoughts and sent pain coursing through him again. He gasped sharply and a pained look lit his face. The voice in his head screamed now. 'Silent suffering is your eternal sanctuary. Get used to it.' Nyxa's fear left her when she saw his pain. One arm went around his shoulders as she helped him to the bed.
"Sinbad," she said, fear etching her voice. "What's wrong?" Tears filled his eyes and as she gazed into them, a dark shadow passed behind them. The same dark cloud she saw whenever he lost his temper. The same dark cloud that seemed to only lift when she had him alone. A low wail broke from his throat and he doubled over in pain. "I'll get help," Nyxa said, smoothing his hair from his sweat-soaked forehead and trying to comfort him at least a little.
"Nothing can help," he cried. "Except death..." Tears of pain streamed down his cheeks but he refused to give in and he refused to live as a prisoner inside himself.
"Are you dying?" Nyxa asked, shock and concern equally evident on her face. Sinbad shook his head as the dark shadow passed behind his eyes once more. Sinbad was ready to give up.
"No," he said, between painful gasps. "But others will continue to die by my hand unless you kill me." As those last words slipped through his lips, unbearable pain ripped through him. 'Surrender and the pain will stop.' Sinbad heard these words echo through his mind... and he surrendered. "I can never stop this," Nyxa heard him whisper as his eyes darkened the color of a late night storm. He sighed deeply then rose from the bed.
Nyxa nearly leapt from the bed to stand beside him. "Sinbad, are..." Her amazement stole her words. "Are you alright? What just happened?" Sinbad shoved her aside as he stripped off his clothes, which had become soaked in sweat from the battle for dominance of Sinbad's body - a battle which Sinbad was losing. He pulled on a dark blue robe and turned to Nyxa.
He glared at her as he said, "You are dismissed. Go back with the other wenches." He rarely spoke to her so harshly and for a moment she felt tears in her eyes. She left quickly, afraid of what he might do, for she had witnessed more than enough of his temper. What she couldn't know was somewhere inside that body was another fearful soul, forced into a silent black sanctuary. All he had to keep him from losing himself completely were memories and the desperate hope that one day, the evil spirit would drop his guard for long enough for the gentle soul to find a way to end the battle.
t.b.c.